Posts Tagged ‘hall’

THIS year’s meagre summer has made a feeble reappearance this week. Seizing the moment, I bought a bottle of one of this year’s Badger summer ales from the Hall & Woodhouse stable. This one is called Cricket, and cost an outrageous £2.29 pence from the Bethnal Green Food Center.

I love Badger ales. Not only are their beers high quality and quirky, as all British ale should be, but they get how important a useful back label is. How is Hall & Woodhouse one of the only industry players who understand that value of this? How?

The neck-label gets things going marvellously.

I like the summer-y yellow, and the pictures of musical notes and hops floating around. But most of all, I like that they sum it up with two simple words: “Beautifully composed.” Simply because when you’re glancing at a shop shelf full of bottles, you need something to tell you something about the character of the beer you’re looking at. From those two words, I’d be surprised if it doesn’t turn out to be a well balanced, solid all-rounder.

The sense of Summer and of fun continues on the front label.

There’s a jolly, if frightening image of, presumably, a cricket. Who, for some reason, is playing a fiddle, amidst a backdrop of falling leaves and hops.

Sticking with Badger conventions, the vital statistics are exactly where you expect them to be. In the corners, one can easily identify this as a 500ml bottle, and that the beer within is a moderate 4.4%.

Toward the top, they elaborate somewhat on the description, with “Harmonious Notes of Lemongrass”. Straight off, I can’t remember what lemongrass is supposed to taste of. Maybe if I shopped in Islington, I would do. For now, I am content that lemongrass sounds like the right sort of flavour to have in your summer salad or ale.

Again, sticking to Badger tradition, the back label is outstandingly helpful.

The ‘story’ opens by explaining the connection to crickets. No, they’re not an ingredient. Rather “the hum of crickets on a summer evening” is “the perfect background to enjoy this fresh, zingy ale”. They go on to describe it as “ well hopped with a depth of character complemented by harmonious notes of lemongrass”. Sounds lovely. They even suggest that it would go “well with barbecued Tiger prawns or a light Thai curry”.

This being a Badger, they go one step further, with their immensely helpful taste profiles. If this is the first Badger ale you’ve seen, have a look at the close-up below. They describe how it looks, smells and tastes, and rate the bitterness, sweetness, hoppiness, maltiness and fruitiness from 0 to 5.

The taste profile pretty much backs up the “Beatifully composed” quote. It does look like it’s going to be a fruity, balanced ale.

Down in the small-print, there’s the usual smattering of facts and warnings. For those that care, Cricket’s combination of bottle size and alcoholic volume means that it has 2.2 UK units of alcohol. The full Dorset postal address is on there, in case you want to write them a letter. And their website is given as www.badgerales.com. A quick browse of which leads us to the homepage for Cricket at http://www.hall-woodhouse.co.uk/beers/badgerales/lemonycricket.asp on which for some reason, they refer to it as Lemony Cricket.

Does Cricket taste as good as I’m expecting it to? How close are the label descriptions to what I can taste? Let’s find out.

Nowhere on the bottle did it say “Serve Chilled”. Being a summer ale I took a chance on leaving it in the fridge for a while. If you know the right temperature to serve it at, leave a comment at the end.

Cricket was easy to pour. Even I was able to decant it into a pint glass with minimal glugging, leaving a patchy covering of foam, sitting atop the brew. What does Critcket look like? The taste profile describes it as “Tawny, golden brown”. I can’t disagree. That said, the word that popped into my mind was “copper”.

What does Badger Cricket smell like? The taste profile describes it as “Robust citrus hop and lemongrass”. First impressions are that it’s not a simple smell. There’s a lot of complementary odours buried in there. Which is what you want from ale. I’ll describe the smell as like that of a hedgerow. Agricultural with lots of foliage. Specifically, a zingy hoppiness. I think it smells lovely. Like a proper old ale.

What does Badger Cricket taste like? The taste profile describes it as “Malt with citrus undertones”. And of course there’s the rest of the label description and taste profile to go on. Once again, those Badger label copywriters are spot on. What you taste is exactly how they describe it. A fact that renders this review unnecessary.

That aside, first gulps of this fridge cold Cricket are that it’s easy to drink and tastier than those ciders that get all the attention at this time of year. On the flavour side of the gulp, there’s little to report. On the taste and finish side of the gulp, you feel how well balanced it is. You can taste the maltiness, hoppiness and some citrusy zing, subtly coming together. All of which leaves your mouth with a long lasting, slightly dry, bitter finish, that’s balanced in a way that makes it more palatable that it sounds. The main impressions it leaves you with is how malty, zingy, light and refreshing it is.

What am I enjoying about Badger Cricket? I’m liking how they’ve somehow managed to fuse rich, ale-like qualities, with a light, refreshing summer ale. For ages, I complained that the summer ales all stuck to the same old formula. Cricket does something different. At last! I also like the zing, the smell, and how it doesn’t make you burp,

What am I not enjoying about Badger Cricket? I want to say that it would appeal to more people if it was sweeter and fruitier. But Badger already does ales that are like that. A little more citrusy zing and a little less malt perhaps? Unless you take the view that the genius behind Cricket is that it has complex maltiness in a refreshing summer ale form. Something we call all agree on is that it is too difficult to find and the £2.29 pence I paid for it is shocking.

How can I sum up Badger Cricket? It is a proper ale, that’s also a summer ale. A niche that’s remained unfilled for too long. I’ve complained here time and again that every brewer produces nearly identical summer ales. Well, here’s the answer. It tastes malty and hoppy, and it looks the right colour. Yet it also has some zing, and it’s light, refreshing and very easy to drink. All of which scores it serious points.

Rating: 4.275

Have you tried Badger Cricket? What did you think of it?

Have you got anything to add or correct? What about your own recommendations and places to buy? Leave your comments here!

BAD news. It’s the New Year. It’s cold. You’ve got less money than you did a couple of months ago. And Celebrity Big Brother is starting. To take our minds of these things, we need a quality bottle of ale. I’m hoping that this increasingly available bottle of Badger Tangle Foot will do the job.

Like Badger’s Fursty Ferret, this bottle breaks with Badger tradition by being transparent. Always helpful when you want to know the colour of what you’re about to consume. That coppery amber hue looks tasty and interesting too.

The neck label goes with a quote this time. And it’s more helpful than they have been. This one goes with “Deceptively drinkable”. Granted, it doesn’t give away as much as you’d like. When you’re trying to decide which bottle to choose from a big shop shelf, you need a little more to go on. But it’s enough to hold my attention for another few seconds.

The main front label managed to hold my attention just as effectively. And it does so whilst looking good. It’s not the most rounded of roundels. More of a rectangle really, but the colours and layout are classy and the logo is amusing enough to keep me reading.

As well as the usual Badger gubbins like the impressive heritage dating back to 1777, there’s a few new touches to Tangle Foot. First is a little stamp in the corner with the words “Proud Of Our Premium Brew” around a picture of hops. And the signature of the Head Brewer. Which makes it look like a bottle of whisky.

Most helpful of all however is what’s around the bottom border. The describe it as having been “Brewed For A Crisp Dry Finish”. That makes it sound like cider. The 5% alcoholic volume also makes it a head-on challenger for the thousands of premium lagers on the shop shelf. And that makes it well worth our while turning the bottle around to study the back label.

The back label is big and full of details. But don’t worry, Hall & Woodhouse always do a splendid job of making them easy to read. And Badger Tangle Foot is no exception. All the things you want to know are on the top-half of the label.

It open with a story, as tenuous as any, about how Tangle Foot (or should that be one word Tanglefoot?) got its name. Then they describe it, in words, as a “’deceptively drinkable’ golden ale with hints of melon and pear developed from fermentation.” They go on to say that it would be “ideal for steak and pies”. Manly food then, for an apparently womanly orientated ale.

Fortunately, the ever useful taste profile box steps in to clear things up. If you haven’t had a bottled ale from Hall & Woodhouse before, then you won’t be familiar with their excellent little profile boxes. They run through a quick description of how is looks, smells and tastes and rates how bitter, sweet, hoppy, malty and fruity it is on scales of zero to five. Amazingly, they’re always spot-on. And this makes your job of trying to find a bottle that you’ll enjoy so much easier.

The smell they describe as “fruity, scented hop, cereal”. The taste as “crisp/sweet, spicy overtones”. Over on the chart, “Sweet” and “Fruity” are both on four out of five, with “Bitter” and “Hoppy” on three and “Malty” down to two out of five.

Down to the small print now. This 500ml bottle of 5% volume ale comes in at 2.5 UK units of alcohol. Which means you can enjoy about one and a half before the Government tells you to stop. Elsewhere on the bottle are Hall & Woodhouse’s Dorset address. And a web address, which is www.tanglefoot.co.uk. A website that’s better than many brewer’s websites.

What does Badger Tangle Foot taste like? The half-a-dozen Badger ales I’ve tried tell me that Badger does crisp and fruity better than just about anyone. Expectations are high, but there’s only one thing to do next…

It pours easily enough. And it comes topped with a good, if lumpy head. Nothing that will scare you.

I can’t fault their description of the smell. It smells a little bit fruity, though not as much as you’d expect. And it smells of beer ingredients, which must be the hops and cereal they mentioned. I’m going to describe it as tangy. Familiar, but I can’t quite place it.

All of which is irrelevant when you get to the taste. The first gulp tells you that Tangle Foot tastes nothing like how it smells. Before your first gulp is over, you know that this is another Badger fruit extravaganza. They describe it as having hints of melon and pear, and, as always, they are absolutely right. Apart from the “hints of” part. Because I think that the pear and melon fruitiness dominates. It’s what Tangle Foot is all about.

Oddly, it’s so sweet and fruity that it doesn’t have an aftertaste in the way a normal ale would. Instead, it becomes slightly more bitter, and more fruity. And then kind of trails off.

How else can I describe the way it tastes? Well, it’s very light. It’s quite crisp. There’s something tangy and spicy about it. And it’s very easy to drink. So easy to drink, it’s one of the easiest ways to consume a 5% volume drink.

I’m two-thirds of the way through the bottle now, so what am I enjoying about Badger Tangle Foot? Quite a lot. The flavour is fruity and unusual. Those things alone score it massive points. Then there’s the sweetness and light bitterness that make it supremely easy to drink. It’s as well made as any of Hall & Woodhouse’s bottles, which is to say it’s very high-quality. It’s not gassy. And there won’t be many people who won’t find it instantly drinkable.

What of the downsides to Tangle Foot? The fruitiness might not be to everyone’s taste. The bitterness in the aftertaste could possibly be off-putting to stick in the mud lager, cider and alcopop drinkers. It’s also still hard to find, although that’s been changing in recent months. It’s also more of a summer drink. Shivering in my freezing flat in early January, Tangle Foot’s breezy fruitiness seems out of place.

How can I sum up Badger Tangle Foot? It is superb. One of my favourite Badger ales. It’s as delicious as fruit salad on a sweltering August day. Not as outrageous as BadgerGolden Glory or wheaty and European as Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc. Badger Tangle Foot gets the balance of distinctiveness and drinkability in a British golden ale just right. And for that, I recommend it.

Rating: 4.35

Have you tried Badger Tangle Foot? What did you think of it? Leave your opinions, corrections, requests, recommendations and places to buy in the comments section below.

DORSET’S most prolific brewer has snuck a couple more bottles into my local corner shop again. Marvellous. The last half-a-dozen bottles of Badger/Hall & Woodhouse ale I tried were very good. Or better. What is Fursty Ferret? And why is Ferret Fursty? Let’s see.

The bottle is transparent. Which is different to most other Badger bottles. It takes away the surprise of an unexpected colour. But then why hide such a deliciously brown liquid in an opaque bottle?

The bottle comes with a neck-label. And that label describes it as “Ale Full of Character”. Appetising, but it could do more. Brewers, use the neck label to tell us something useful about the drink. Is it fruity, malty or made with silage?

The front-label is the simplest Badger front-label I’ve seen yet. Just look at it.

Besides the name and logo, the only other details are “Country Crafted” and “Alc 4.4% Vol”. You have to love the ferret’s getting up to mischief around the keg of beer though. 4.4% volume isn’t too bad either. Even though I like my ale to have more power, a lot of you will like how it sits nicely between the three-point-something’s and more-than-five-percent’s.

The lack of information isn’t a problem either, when you remember how superb Badger’s back labels are.

The story comes with a story as tenuous as any about ferrets sneakily enjoying the brew at a country pub. It goes on to describe itself as a “tawny amber ale” with a “nutty” taste, “hoppy aroma” and something to do with “Saville oranges”. Fortunately, they also included one of their excellent charts for those of us who prefer to see pictures instead of reading. And, for the first time, I have a camera good enough for you to read what it says.

What are the most important bits? The taste. They describe it as “Malty” and balanced. On the chart, “Sweet” stands right out, bolstered by strong “Malt” and “Fruity”. But you didn’t need me to say that because, for once, my photo is good enough for you to see for yourself.

Under the interesting bits we get to the small print. The only ingredients on the list are “malted barley, wheat & sulphites”. At 4.4% volume, this standard 500ml weighs in at 2.2 UK units of alcohol. So you can have around two of them in one sitting.

At the very bottom of the label are the addresses that matter. There’s Hall & Woodhouse Ltd’s address. In case you want to write to them. Or visit them. And there’s the web address which is www.badgerales.com.

Does it taste sweet, malty and fruity? Time to crack open the bottle and find out. I’m looking forward to this.

The colour is as “tawny amber” as it looked in the bottle. Only now it has a patchy and rather disappointing head.

The label promised a complicated smell of things like spicy hops, orange and malt. That’s a lot of different things. It’s so complicated that I can’t disagree. All those things are in the smell. And possibly a few more besides. Hoppy, tangy and complex is the overly simplistic way I’ll choose to describe it.

Miraculously, it tastes exactly the way it smells. All the complexity and everything. That was a very satisfying first gulp.

The flavours aren’t strong. They’re not weak either. Just a bit passive. Great if you want a gentle, nutty and slightly fruity and malty. Not so much if you wanted something strong and outrageous.

The gentle flavour is gently replaced by the aftertaste that gently rolls onto your tongue. Pleasant hoppy-ness takes centre stage. Tangy malty-ness are the supporting acts. And the whole act is a bitter sweet balance. All in all, the label is spot-on.

Two-thirds of the way through the bottle, what am I enjoying about Badger Fursty Ferret? Quite a lot. Hall & Woodhouse rarely disappoint with their labels. The profile box on the back of Fursty Ferrett is as accurate as any. And that’s good because it will help you pick a bottle that you like. It smells complex, which a good ale should do. It tastes good. In fact, it’s so gentle and tasty, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who’ll hate it. It’s not gassy. And the Badger quality is most definitely here. You can taste the care and quality. Especially if you’ve come straight from a lager.

What am I not enjoying about Badger Fursty Ferret? Mostly the things that come down to personal taste. The gentle flavour is all well and good, but I like something that takes bigger risks and does something original. Which Fursty Ferret doesn’t really. Even though that’s probably not what they set out to do. What else? Nitpicking again brings me to the strength, but then it never said it was a strong ale. The only valid complaint I can think of is that it’s hard to find in shops.

To sum up, Badger Fursty Ferret is a deserving member of the Badger line-up. It’s tasty, gentle and well made. Even if it is a little on the boring side. I liked it and you probably will too. It’s like Canada. Hard to hate.

Rating: 4

Have you tried Badger Fursty Ferret? What did you think of it? Leave your opinions, corrections, requests, recommendations and places to buy in the comments section here.

BADGER’S reputation for outstanding bottles of ale remained intact yesterday with Badger First Gold. Hopes are high then, for this bottle of Badger England’s Gold.

The neck label of these Badger bottles is a good source of clues for what to expect. But this one baffles me.

What is “Quintessentially English” ale? I don’t know. But I’m looking forward to finding out.

The main front label, like the neck label takes English country imagery a step further.

The fields, rolling hills, trees, village and church are all very effective at creating an idyllic image of rural England. It certainly makes me want to get out of the city for a break. But what does it say about the ale? I’m still in the dark about that.

Certainly, the “England’s Gold” name is very appealing. And the 4.6% volume for the 500 millilitre bottle means it should be potent enough. But what is Badger’s take on a “Quintessentially English” ale all about? Time to consult the invaluable “Taste Profile” chart on the back label.

Once again, bravo to Hall & Woodhouse/Badger for the back label. They never disappoint with good descriptions, clear labelling. And, of course, that ever-so-handy “Taste Profile”. Let’s see how it rates “Bitter”, “Sweet”, “Hoppy”, “Malty” and “Fruity” on its one to five scales…

In case you can’t see from my photo (which you probably can’t, not even I can), we do learn what England’s Gold is about. That’s because it’s about “Fruity”-ness. At four out of five, “Fruity”-ness leads by a big margin. “Sweet” isn’t far behind on three, with “Bitter”, “Hoppy” and “Malty” down on two’s and one’s out of five respectively. It looks, then, that “Quintessentially English” ales are about fruitiness and sweetness. Yummy.

As always with Badger labels, they don’t stop there. We also get a proper description. This one goes with descriptions like “fresh”, “light”, “grassy”, “crisp”, “floral” and “subtle bitterness”. That sounds deliciously complex to me. We also learn that this bottle ale is “award-winning”, but what awards they were, we’re not told. They also advise that this goes well with chicken or pasta, but especially well with “fresh Dorset fly-fished trout”. Sadly, with no fresh trout, Dorset or otherwise, to hand, it’ll have to be tested on its own this time. Unless, that is, the instant lasagne I had an hour ago is the pasta they had in mind.

Now I’m really looking forward to trying Badger England’s Gold. I might be from Wales, but I want to like this one. The big question is will it be as shockingly floral and fruity as Badger Golden Glory? What will it taste like? And do I think you should buy a bottle? Let’s find out…

Once in the glass, it’s a deep, dark shade of gold. Roughly what I expected of yesterday’s First Gold actually. But this time, there’s no real head to worry about. Sure, it has one, but it’s just a thin layer of bubbles. And one that becomes patchy after a minute or two.

How does it smell? The label describes it as having a “zippy floral aroma”. I’d say it’s like sniffing some flowers that happen to be sharing a field with some citrus fruit. All very interesting, pleasant and unexpected. And not overwhelming either.

How does it taste? In a word; interesting. This is another complicated one, so I’m going to need a few more gulps to make sense of what’s going on with the flavour.

A few gulps later, and I would say that hoppy bitterness was much more noticeable than I expected. That said, it is still fruity and flowery, so those are what you’ll notice on the palate. Also in there are hints of tangy citrus-ness and various plants. Which, I think is where their descriptions of “white grape and melon” and “grassy”-ness come from. Whatever you thought you were expecting from the flavours and tastes, you’ll be surprised.

There’s much that I like about England’s Gold. The flavours and taste surprised me, even though I thought I knew what to expect. And that’s a good thing. The flavours and tastes were interesting and good. Even though they describe it as having a “subtle bitterness”, it has a tangy and hoppy bite to it. This, together with all the fruit and flowers in the taste take a little getting used to, but the Badger quality makes sure you will do. The strength is right. And tasting as it does, it offers something you don’t find easily elsewhere. And that gains it points for character and distinctiveness.

With anything that takes so many chances, there are going to be downsides. England’s Gold is no sadly exception. For the first time, out of all the Badger bottled ales, what they have on the label didn’t match what I was tasting. In all probability, that was down to my lack of lack of taste ability. But if you also happen to be a talentless beer reviewer, you too could be surprised by the bitter bite you didn’t expect. The flavour and taste is very good. But it did take some getting used to. And that’s going to put the less intrepid drinkers off. It’s also darn hard to find, with only one little shop near me stocking it by chance.

So, where does that leave Badger England’s Gold overall? I’m not entirely sure how to sum it up, let alone how to rate it. Nearly at the bottom of my glass now, and I’ve quite enjoyed it. It is similar to Badger Golden Glory, but toned down in the fruit and flowers department. And upped considerably in the hoppy bitterness.

England’s Gold then, is high-quality, interesting and complex. If you like interesting ales, definitely try it. On the other hand, you might easily hate it. Going by past comments though, this could be an ale for the ladies. Am I right? Quintessentially English? Conceivably.

Rating: 4

Have you tried Badger England’s Gold? What did you think of this unusual ale?

Like this:

IT’S been a while since my last British ale. My taste buds would argue that it’s been too long. To rectify this appalling state of affairs, I managed to find a couple of Badger ales hidden away in another small off-license on Bethnal Green Road. This delights me, because so far, I’ve had six different Badger/Hall & Woodhouse bottles from the Dorset brewer. And what’s more, all six have been excellent quality with masses of character. So it’s fair to say that I’m looking forward to this bottle of Badger First Gold.

The bottle and labels stick to the old Badger formula. The bottle is a dumpy brown thing. Look out for the yes “1777” and words describing them as an “Independent Family Brewer” embossed around the shoulder. That’s the sort of heritage we like to see.

The neck label tells you almost everything you need to know about what First Gold will be all about. “Single English Hop Ale” says it all. As do the small pictures of hops. Making a wild guess, this is going to have a strong hoppy taste and bitterness.

The front label adds little. But then it doesn’t need to.

Everything on it is simple and well designed. The “First Gold” is shiny gold. Nice touch there. And the badger of the “1777 Badger” logo takes centre stage in the big illustration in the middle. Under that is the slogan “A noble character”. That could be a hint at the hoppy-ness to come.

The vital statistics are on there too. This is the regular 500 millilitre bottle. And alcoholic volume is 4%. Crikey, that’s low for an ale. Albeit not as low as their 2.5% low-alcohol Harvesters Ale.

Over on the back label, and outstanding news… the Badger “Taste Profile” chart is present!

For the uninitiated, let me explain this outburst of enthusiasm. Most bottles of beer have vague, marketing led descriptions of what the beer is like. Most of which bear little resemblance to what the beer is actually like. This “Tate Profile” however, rates how “Bitter”, “Sweet”, “Hoppy”, “Malty” and “Fruity” the contents is, on a scale of one to five. And in my experience of Badger’s six other bottles of ale, they’re pretty much spot-on. So what you read on the profile is what you get on the palate. A godsend if you’re browsing the shelves or websites trying to decide which one you’ll enjoy most.

So what does the “Taste Profile” say about “First Gold”?

Little if you try to read my awful photo. That would be my Neolithic era camera phone letting me down again. But I can report that “Bitter” and “Hoppy” both rate highest with four out of five. “Malty” and “Fruity” are on three with “Sweet” on two out of five. A consistent picture of hoppy bitterness is emerging.

Reading the rest of the label, and the picture grows ever more vivid. It transpires that they use a single variety of hop for its “purity and character”. And the name of that hop is “First Gold”. They go on to describe First Gold as having a “well balanced bitterness, with hints of orange and spice”. That it is a “clean, fresh” and “distinctive” example of a country ale with English character. And that if you have a roast or a pie to drink it with, then that would be splendid.

Down to the small print, the Hall & Woodhouse address in Blandford St. Mary, Dorset is on there. As is the web address at www.badgerales.com. Which immediately redirects you to http://www.hall-woodhouse.co.uk/. A single click on which leads you through to the First Gold homepage at http://www.badgerfirstgold.co.uk/. A page that informs us that this very bottled beer won Double Gold at The Brewing Industry International Awards, Munich 2005. Good work chaps. Although I’ll leave my congratulations until I’ve finally tested it myself.

Elsewhere on the small print, we learn that this bottle has 2.0 UK units of alcohol. That means that if you’re a bloke, you can happily enjoy two bottles of First Gold. Lastly, it contains malted barley.

With all that done, I can finally open the bottle and try to answer for you some questions. Questions such as do I think it deserves two gold medals? What does it taste like? And do I think you should buy it? Let’s find out.

There was just enough head to fill my pint glass to the brim. Now, a couple of minutes later, it’s died down a bit. But, happily, there’s still a good, thick layer of creamy froth sitting atop the drink.

The colour is darker than I expected. It looks dark brown to me. For some reason I was expecting a golden amber colour like much of Badger’s other bottled ales.

It smells hoppy. No surprise there. But it also smells considerably maltier than I expected it to be. The whole combined smell is also much weaker than I expected. All the talk of hops on the labels made me brace for an overwhelmingly hoppy smell.

But how does it taste? Surprisingly, it tastes different to the super-hoppy experience I was readying myself for. The first flavours hitting my palate is…. Complex. There’s a lot of different flavours in there. So many, I’m going to need a few more gulps to make sense of it. That by itself is a good thing for an ale, in my opinion.

Half-way through now, and I’ll take a stab and describing what Badger First Gold tastes like. From the first taste, through to the aftertaste, it’s the hoppy-ness that stands out. An experience that feels like you’re drinking brambles. Very drinkable brambles that is. Enveloped by the hoppy flavour, are what I think must be the orange and spice they mentioned on the label. I would say that there’s something tangy and fruity in there that tastes a little bit of biscuits. The whole thing is rounded off by a softly lingering bitterness. None of these flavours and tastes is too strong, nor too weak as to make them hard to notice. All well balanced I’d say.

What do I like about Badger First Gold? A lot. Everything about it surprised me, which I like to have happen. The flavours and tastes are as complex and as layered as an onion. And that’s something I like. The flavours and tastes are excellent, not too strong, nor off-putting and consequently, utterly drinkable. It tastes different to other hop orientated ales, so it scores marks for distinctiveness. It’s also not at all gassy. And the quality is as fine as any bottled beer you’ll find.

What about the downsides? Well, that complex, malty, tangy bitterness won’t be to everyone’s taste. You’ve really got to enjoy strong-ish flavours and bitterness to get along with this ale. So lager drinkers might be overwhelmed by it all. Which is no bad thing. It’s also hard to find. In several months of doing these reviews, I’ve only found one small off-license selling these bottles. Lastly, it is a little on the weak side. I’d welcome a few more percentage points of alcoholic volume.

To sum up, I can see why Badger First Gold has won awards. It’s complex and tasty. Would I recommend it? If you like interesting English ales, then this is one to try. An excellent hoppy, bitter ale.

Rating: 4.25

Have you tried Badger First Gold? What did you think of it?

Leave your corrections, opinions, thoughts, requests and recommendations in the comments box below. And check my next post for another Badger!

ALL too soon, we reach the end of our second round up of Hall & Woodhouse brewed ales. If you haven’t read my reviews of their other brews yet, then here’s your chance to catch up. Brace yourself, they’ve built up a vast range of bottles:

Hall & Woodhouse do traditional ales very well, but that they aren’t afraid to try new things and throw in the unexpected. But will that be the case with Badger Blandford Fly?

On the outside the Badger style is much in evidence. And as usual, the neck label is the place to start.

This one goes with a little sentence that describes it as “An unusually refreshing premium ale subtly spiced for EXTRA BITE”. Their capitalisation. Not mine. Which hints at what will make this refreshing ale, stand out from the crowd.

Down on the main front label everything looks rustic and traditional. And that background. Does it remind you of bees wax? Or wallpaper?

Onto the roundel, and all the details are where they should be. It’s not overcrowded. And I happen to think it all looks quite attractive. The old Badger 1777 logo makes a more prominent reappearance this time. And the little illustration of a Blandford fly inbetween the words “Subtly” and “Spiced” hint at a story behind it. The 5.2% volume is on there. And besides the mentions of Hall & Woodhouse and Blandford St. Mary, Dorset; there’s not much to report from the front. Apart from the symmetry. Maybe that’s why it looks just right?

Around on the back label, things are straightforward again. Accompanied by some little illustrations of flys buzzing around, it starts with a concise description of what this ale is all about. As well as aiming to be a refreshing premium ale, it also has spicy ginger overtones and a warming character. The spicy ginger must be what gives it that “EXTRA BITE” mentioned on the front.

Those of you wanting a story to go with your ale won’t be disappointed. This one goes with that of the Blandford Fly of Dorset’s River Stour. You see where they got the name for this ale? It transpires that the fly in question has a habit of biting people. And that custom was; ginger would provide an antidote. Which would explain the name and idea behind this ale. Okay, it’s a tenuous link, but it’s better than some of the stories on beer bottles.

The invaluable ‘Taste Profile’ chart is always worth a look. Especially with Blandford Fly. This is the first time that I’ve seen one element of it rate as a five and another rate as a zero. In pole position this time with five out of five, is ‘Sweet’. ‘Bitter’ and ‘Fruity’ both receive three. ‘Malty’ has two. But ‘Hoppy’ isn’t even on the chart. According to this chart, Blandford Fly will be sweet, fruity and not even slightly hoppy. I can’t wait to find out what that’s going to be like.

But unfortunately there’s the small print to get through. Which I happen to know that some of you out there do like to know. So let’s plough through them quickly in order to get to the fun part of the review… The Blandford St. Mary, Dorset address is on there. So to is the www.badgerales.com web address. This is a 500 millilitre bottle, so the 5.2% volume gives it 2.6 UK units of alcohol. And it contains malted barley. That’s the dry part of the review out of the way. Now, time to find out what Blandford Fly is really all about.

Once in the glass, there’s more head than I’ve become used to from Badger. It’s surprisingly frothy. But. It does make the 500 millilitre bottle completely fill the pint glass.

This has one of the most distinctive smells I’ve yet witnessed. You can smell the ginger. And it is as unexpected as you’d imagine. Even after reading the label. You just don’t expect to smell it from an ale. Unusual and a good start.

Within one gulp, you can tell this is exactly as advertised on the label and the ‘Taste Profile’. The first taste you get is one of sweetness. Quickly followed by bitterness and fruitiness. Followed by an aftertaste of ginger. And that, is the sting of the Blandford Fly.

Some, if not most ales, need the entire bottle to figure out. But this gets straight to the point. And I have to say, I like it. And not just the being polite, acknowledging the quality, half-heartedly liking it. Blandford Fly is excellent. It’s easy to drink. Quite refreshing. Not too gassy. And it has that unusual ginger ‘sting’ that adds the most important quality. Difference. And I love beers that do something different.

The downsides. That ginger flavour is strong and won’t be to everyone’s tastes. So it won’t please everyone. You couldn’t describe it as ‘inoffensive’.

To try and sum up then; Blandford Fly is a Marmite of an ale. You’ll either love it or hate. I happen find it outstanding. And as it’s my blog, it gets a high rating. If you like unusual beers and ales, this is well worth the risk.

Rating: 4.35

If you’ve tried Blandford Fly, I’d be interested know if you liked it as much as I did. Or if you didn’t.

If you’ve got any suggestions of your own for ginger flavoured ales, or anything else you want me to review, leave a comment in the box below.

From the same Dorset brewer that brought us Badger Golden Glory Ale and yesterday’s low-alcohol Badger Harvesters Ale. Jettisoning the rule book, Hall & Woodhouse appear to be on an innovation binge with this 500 millilitre bottle. The bottle shape and shapes of the labels look the same as the Badger range, but as far as I can tell, that’s where the similarities end.

The bottle top is green with a ‘River Cottage‘ logo atop it. The neck label alludes to something unusual indeed with “Tongue Tingling Ale” surrounded what look like… no it can’t be… are those nettles?

The plot thickens on the main front label.

In place of the usual badger logo is the “River Cottage” one. But under the large, green, stylized “Stinger” text, I’m glad to see the old badger still makes an appearance. An appearance from foliage that looks like… nettles. There they are again. A reassuring and disconcerting illustration. But one that makes you want to read on.

Under the illustration is the biggest mention I’ve yet seen of Hall & Woodhouse on the front of one of their bottles. “Brewed by Hall & Woodhouse” wasn’t on the front of their other bottles. Presumably because this one is more of a River Cottage ale than a Badger ale.

Next there’s a very stylised description of “using organic nettles hand-picked in Dorset”. That explains it. This is made from organic nettles. As for the hand-picking part, all I can think is, I hope they had plenty of dock leaves to hand. If you don’t know what I mean, that’s because you are a townie. You have my sympathies.

Also on the front is a respectable 4.5% volume.

Over on the back label, and the River Cottage connection becomes clear. There’s a photo and extensive quote from Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall. You know, the celebrity chef, author and journalist from Channel 4’s River Cottage series of programmes. At first, his involvement with an ale, organic or otherwise baffled me. That was until I learnt that hisRiver Cottage is in Dorset, and thus, the link to Hall & Woodhouse became clear.

At this point, I must confess that I’ve never watched more than a few odd minutes of Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall’s television programmes. I’ve seen enough to get the gist that he likes the back-to-nature ways of cooking. And that’s something I respect. But anything more than a few minutes at a time and I’m afraid I might start voting Liberal Democrat.

Back to the label, and I’m delighted to see the little ‘Taste Profile’ chart has made in tact to this bottle. Albeit, minus the ‘See’, ‘Smell’ and ‘Taste’ additions from Harvester Ale. With this one, ‘Malty’ and ‘Fruity’ come out top with four out of five. And ‘Sweet’, ‘Bitter’ and ‘Hoppy’ are three, two and one out of five respectively. Something tells me that this is going to be distinctive.

The main text on the back label is actually a gigantic quote from H F-W himself. To summarise, he wanted to create an organic beer. And sums up Stinger with words like “delicious”, “refreshing”, “West Country character”, “depth”, “slightly spicy” “light bitterness” and “subtle tingle that comes from the nettles”. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly intrigued at this stage.

Among the usual small-print details, there’s one little symbol that makes it’s presence know. And that is the Soil Association Organic Standard mark. Yet again, we’re seeing another ale making a deal about being organic. This really does seem to be the next big thing.

Of the other small-print that may or may not interest you, is the little symbol telling us that this bottle has 2.3 of your UK units of alcohol. That is contains malted barley. The H & W address in Blandford St. Mary, Dorset, England. The www.badgerales.com web address. And, also, the www.rivercottage.net web address.

Enough chatter. Let’s see if this strange and unusual drink is actually any good.

Once safely in the glass, the first thing that surprised me was the colour. I was half hoping for an outrageous nettle green colour. But alas, it’s a straightforward light gold. And one with a predictable, thin head.

It does smell a little different however. And… I don’t know how to describe it. It smells kind of fruity and a little malty. But not in any ways that I’ve smelt it before. It’s not overpowering, and quite pleasant. I like beers that do something different, so in terms of smell, Stinger is doing well so far.

Only smell isn’t the most important part. Flavour, taste and drinkability are. So let’s get drinking. And my first impressions are good. Excellent in fact. A couple of gulps in, and this has a full, proper ale taste. Regardless of the unusual way in which it was made. Only I’m having some difficulty figuring out what it is that I’m tasting. Let’s compare it against Hugh’s description…

Yes, it is refreshing. Not the most refreshing ever, but served cool, it ticks that box. It’s got that character and depth that made me love the other Badger ales so much. So, if like me, you like your ale to be a complex blend of stuff, then you’ll probably get on well with Stinger too. Hugh also describes a light bitterness, with a spicy tingle. The light bitterness is definitely there. And it’s one of the lightest bitternesses I’ve seen for a long time. And it comes with hardly any bad aftertaste. So if you don’t like bitterness, you’re fairly safe with Stinger. As for the spicy tingle, I can’t quite find it on my taste buds. I’m getting a tiny hint of something tingly, buried in the blend. But the nettle-like sting isn’t much in evidence.

Over half of the way through now, and Stinger is proving to be a very enjoyable, and easily-drinkable ale. Easier to drink than even yesterday’s low-alcohol Harvesters Ale. This is turning out to be quite different to what I was expecting.

Stinger seems to be avoiding the downsides of being very hoppy. While being a little of the bitter, arable side of the flavour spectrum. Not greatly so, mind. And that I think, could be the weakness. It’s just not as unusual as I hoped it would be. Not that I expected nettle leaves to be floating in the bottle. But more of a nettle flavour would have helped Stinger stand out. And as a fan of homemade nettle soup, I can vouch for the tastiness of nettles.

To sum up then. What Stinger is tuning out to be, is a not an outlandish, new-age inspired eco-drink. But rather a quality, mild, drinkable ale with a nice taste. If you can find it stocked, I’d say it’s worth your time.

Rating: 4

Have you tried Harvester? What did you think of it?
The comments box is below. You know what to do…